


What you want

by Laramie



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Alternate Universe - Daemons, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-23
Updated: 2015-11-04
Packaged: 2018-04-16 15:33:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4630554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laramie/pseuds/Laramie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When your soul lives outside of your body, it's far harder to hide what you want.</p><p>Sort-of crossover with His Dark Materials, but you don't need to be familiar with that series to read the story. (But if you're not familiar with HDM, I highly recommend you rectify that immediately.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Hedgehog’s Dilemma](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1670945) by [Redrikki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redrikki/pseuds/Redrikki). 



> It has been too long since I read His Dark Materials, so I confess my memory of the details is sketchy, but I've done my best. I think I might have made the daemons behave too much like their animal shapes. Names taken from [here](http://rumandmonkey.com/widgets/toys/namegen/4781#.VdiWxrJViko), and thanks are due once again to fuckyeah-thommy for the Thommy storyline videos.
> 
> This first bit is a preface/introduction thing.
> 
> If you have a better idea for a title please do suggest it to me.

When Thomas was twelve, his bullies made a game of dragging his daemon away from him. He had never shed a tear at school before, but when they enacted this torture he could never stop himself from crying. Their daemons would take hold of her in teeth and claws and snake-coils, pulling her away while their humans held Thomas back, laughing and jeering. Phoena would change form rapidly, now a wolf, now a mouse, in her attempts to escape, and Thomas would feel every scratch they inflicted on her. All the while, there was the terrible, tugging ache as his soul was literally pulled away from him, leaving a gaping emptiness in his chest.

Once, they locked him in a classroom at lunchtime and took her right out to the other side of the schoolyard. Thomas had pressed against the wall closest to Phoena, sobbing, until a teacher had opened the door and he rushed past to get back to her.

He received a caning for pushing Mr Winter but it was worth it for the moment he collapsed to his knees next to Phoena, who had just turned into a lion to scare the other daemons away, flung his arms around her and pressed his face into her fur.

Three days after Christmas that year, Phoena settled as a Finnish Spitz, though he did not learn the name for several years. She was nearly twenty inches high, with a tail that curled over her back, and was forever getting them in trouble by barking at anything that moved, even during lessons.

By spring, they could be separated by 500 feet or more. His tormentors were so unnerved by what they had done that they never spoke to him again.


	2. Chapter 2

When Jimmy Kent walked into their lives, Thomas and Phoena were each as smitten as the other.

"Who's this?" Thomas asked, stunned, as Phoena strained forward to sniff the rabbit daemon who was sitting at the stranger's heel and looking curiously up at them all. The rabbit was very interesting to look at: dark brown over her back, legs and head; with a lighter, almost orange colour on her underside and in a loop around her neck. And the man - well, the man was stunning.

"Jimmy Kent," the stranger said. "At your service."

"I'm Mr Barrow," Thomas replied, while Phoena continued to snuffle around Jimmy's daemon. "His Lordship's valet."

"And I'm hoping to be His Lordship's footman." He glanced down with amusement as Phoena made a play-bow to Jimmy's daemon, which the rabbit only blinked at. "Which is why I'm looking for Mr Carson."

Thomas allowed himself a quick once-over, and ascertained that Jimmy's body delivered on the promise his face made. As Thomas was casting a glare at Phoena for being so obvious with her repeated play-bows, Mrs Hughes walked in.

"What's the matter, have you all been turned into pillars of salt?" she asked, her daemon - who took the shape of a fluffy, ginger-brown Somali cat by the name of Adrastus - striding elegantly along beside her. "Can I help?" she asked Jimmy, as Adrastus also sniffed at the rabbit before losing interest.

"I've come for the interview," Jimmy told Mrs Hughes.

"I see. Well, if you'll wait there." After a quick glance at the rabbit daemon, she turned to leave. Adrastus padded silently in her wake with his tail held high.

Feeling antsy, Thomas looked to Phoena again for reassurance. She was now lying unthreateningly in front of Jimmy's daemon with her muzzle laid meekly on the ground. Jimmy's daemon tilted her head before leaning forward and licking the top of Phoena's snout. Which, if Thomas remembered correctly, was a submissive gesture for a rabbit. When Thomas looked up again, Jimmy's face had gone pink.

Abruptly, O'Brien's robin daemon Sarea descended on them both and started fluttering and pecking at Jimmy's daemon.

"Sarea!" O'Brien said sharply, as Jimmy bent down to pick the poor rabbit up.

At Thomas's feet, Phoena stared at Sarea and growled.

* * *

After a day spent in London, Thomas returned to the Abbey, weighed down with suitcases. Once inside, Molesley's bloodhound daemon, Olesia, preceded him into the corridor behind Thomas. While Thomas kept walking, Phoena paused to nudge noses with her.

"You're back!" Molesley commented.

Thomas turned to see Olesia licking Phoena's snout deferentially. Thomas suppressed a smirk and kept walking as he replied: "I am. Anything happen here?" Mostly, he was interested in knowing whether Jimmy and his rabbit had been taken on.

"There's a new footman, came today," Molesley told him, and Thomas tried not to look too interested. "How was London?"

"Fun, as a matter of fact," he lied.

"Has the Firebrand been saved?"

"That's not for me to say, is it, Mr Molesley?" Thomas said sternly. "Now, I'd better take these upstairs."

He left Molesley and Olesia in the corridor and continued on his way, with Phoena trotting beside him. "He's so nosey," she whispered. "Wanting to know what we were doing and asking about the Firebrand. And Olesia's _boring_."

"Maybe the new footman will spice things up a bit," Thomas murmured back. He tried not to hope that it would be Jimmy, but _anything_ new would be _something_.

As they turned the corner, Phoena put her nose in the air and sniffed, her moist noise flaring. She turned a doggy grin on Thomas, baring her teeth. "It's Jimmy," she announced.

Thomas lifted his chin and resolved to ignore Jimmy, allowing himself barely a glance through the open door of the changing room as they passed - but in that look the sight of Jimmy's naked back met his gaze. Phoena was already staring shamelessly; Thomas joined her at the door and enjoyed the sight of Jimmy's muscled shoulders above the shirt he seemed to be struggling with. As they stopped, Jimmy's daemon - who had been stretched out on her side - lifted her head with a jerk and got quickly to her feet.

"You got the job, then?"

Having apparently not noticed what his daemon had, Jimmy turned with a surprised expression that soon gave way to a self-assured grin. "I'm on my way, Mr Barrow. They say you were a footman once."

"Who said?" Phoena huffed into the back of Thomas's knee.

Jimmy's daemon hopped closer, lifting and lowering her head a couple of times as though to keep them in focus.

"That's right," Thomas confirmed to Jimmy, tearing his eyes away for a moment so as not to be caught staring.

"So can I come to you if there's anything I need to know?" Jimmy requested.

The look in his eyes called a heat to Thomas's stomach. "Certainly," he agreed. "Why not?"

After they exchanged a nod, Jimmy turned to continue with his clothes while Thomas went on his way. Phoena lingered.

"Come on!" Thomas hissed at her.

She followed, begrudgingly, then bounded past him up the stairs. She waited on the landing for him to catch up. "I like Kaiya," she said.

"Who?"

"His daemon."

Thomas felt a quiver of fear. "You shouldn't," he told her.

"Why not?" she retorted flippantly, dancing on the landing.

Thomas paused next to her, putting the suitcases on the floor for a moment to take her head in his hands.

"She's pretty," Phoena pointed out. "And he's lovely. I know you think he is."

Her fur was velvety under his thumbs as Thomas stroked her narrow snout. "He won't be like us."

"He might be," Phoena insisted adamantly, licking his hand copiously.

"S'pose he might," Thomas acknowledged in a murmur.

* * *

One evening, Thomas heard Jimmy being chastised in the corridor. As he wandered out, he joined Miss O'Brien as they both watched after Jimmy. Phoena jogged after Jimmy a little way before Thomas hissed at her to come back. She shot him a baleful look over her shoulder before turning and trotting back to him.

"He's nice, that new bloke, isn't he?" Miss O'Brien said. The way her eyes caught on Phoena was unnerving.

"Why d'you say that?" Thomas asked, his voice strained. Phoena pressed against his leg.

Sarea fixed Thomas with a beady eye.

"Oh, only an impression, that's all," Miss O'Brien said.

After she had gone, Thomas cast his eyes over Jimmy once more before he went on his way. Phoena stayed to watch Jimmy for far longer than most daemons would have been able to.


	3. Chapter 3

At mealtimes, most of the servants' daemons lay under the table, with the exception of the bird daemons - who mostly perched on their human's shoulder - and Alfred's Irish Wolfhound. At close to three foot tall, she was more comfortable lying with her head under Alfred's chair and her back end obstructing whoever was serving the tea no matter how many times they asked Alfred to get her to move. Thomas had been tempted to give her a swift kick on more than one occasion, but he could not bring himself to break the taboo of touching another's daemon.

The daemons themselves had no such timidity, and often tumbled around together if they were quiet enough for Mr Carson's badger daemon not to notice. Phoena liked to curl up with Anna's squirrel daemon, Bayanai, for naps, which was embarrassing enough, but Thomas kept having to tell her not to lick Bayanai's snout submissively. The only response she ever gave him was a withering look, as though he had missed something.

* * *

As they waited for news on Sybil's baby, Thomas sat by Jimmy and smoked. Across the table, Miss O'Brien sat with Sarea perched on the rim of her cup of tea, while Bayanai lay around Anna's neck like a mink stole and slept. In Mr Carson's absence, Phoena lay on the table with her chin on her paws, watching Jimmy play solitaire. Kaiya had started on Jimmy's lap, but eventually she jumped up onto the table too, hopped across Jimmy's cards and shyly approached Phoena. The two demons sat nose-to-nose for a long time.

"What breed is Kaiya?" Thomas asked.

Jimmy stared at him with an astonishment bordering on fear. "How do you know her name?"

" _She_ told _her_ ," Thomas explained, gesturing to each of their daemons in turn with the cigarette between his fingers.

"Oh," Jimmy said, and frowned at the dark-furred rabbit who was now hopping still closer to Phoena.

Across the table, Miss O'Brien and Sarea watched.

"She's a Tan," Jimmy said then, in response to Thomas's question. "Now the least you can do is tell me your daemon's name too." There was a bite of sullenness in his voice, but also genuine inquisitiveness as he turned to face Thomas.

"Phoena."

"Mm…" Jimmy acknowledged, scowling as Kaiya pressed closer to Phoena. Abruptly, he leaned over and scooped her up, bringing her back to his lap. He stroked her almost feverishly.

From across the table, Ivy's swan daemon, looking massive, waddled over. He lowered his head as if to poke the rabbit, but Jimmy closed his hand protectively over her ears and clasped her closer to his stomach. When this did not deter the daemon, he made as if to brush him away. The swan pulled back before there was any danger of Jimmy touching and glared at him, affronted, before going back to Ivy.

"I hate having a rabbit daemon," Jimmy muttered, so quietly that Thomas was not sure whether he was meant to hear. Despite his words, Jimmy was massaging the base of Kaiya's ears as he spoke.

"Why?" Thomas asked.

"It's such a _girly_ daemon," he complained. "I should have had an eagle or a lion or something."

Thomas quirked an eyebrow at him in amusement, while Kaiya nipped Jimmy's thigh reproachfully.

"Well thank you _very_ much," Kaiya said sulkily.

Jimmy sighed. "And now I'll have to repair my bloody trousers."

"Show us a card trick, Jimmy," Thomas requested, to try to lighten his mood.

Before Jimmy could respond, Mr Carson came in to announce the baby's birth.

* * *

After Sybil died, Phoena barely moved for a week. She would follow Thomas from floor to floor, but otherwise she lay in a corner while Thomas went about his tasks. He kept getting funny looks for being in a room without her. Even Thomas found it odd not to be able to look around and see her. She took to curling up with Bayanai, Anna's squirrel daemon, whenever Anna was around.

Anna kept giving Thomas sympathetic smiles when she saw the two daemons together. Thomas wished that she wouldn't, but he could not bring himself to tell Phoena to stop and lose the comfort Bayanai was bringing them.

Once, he came in from the kitchen to see Kaiya standing as far away as she could while stretching forwards to sniff at Phoena's fur. She hopped away when she caught sight of Thomas.

Jimmy seemed to be trying to be comforting, too. On that first morning after, he had seen how dejected Thomas was and said: "I'd say your grief speaks well for her."

Thomas had gripped his hand under the table and thanked him. Kaiya had looked up at Thomas sharply, and out of the corner of his eye Thomas thought he saw Jimmy shooting her a glare.

"I think they like us," Phoena had said that night.

Thomas had brushed out her fur and not bothered to reply. She knew very well the hopefulness that was taking root.

After a couple of weeks, things returned almost to normal. One evening, the servants sat around in the servants' hall. Mrs Hughes and Mr Molesley were in conversation about something, while behind Mrs Hughes, Molesley's bloodhound daemon tried to invite Adrastus to play. The cat tolerated her for a while before swiping at her nose with one paw, his claws sheathed. Anna and Bayanai watched the exchange between Mrs Hughes and Molesley.

Meanwhile, Jimmy and Thomas got to discussing music. Thomas preferred the classics, but Jimmy was determined to show him the error of his ways and the brilliance of ragtime.

"He's good on the piano," Kaiya said from Jimmy's lap. "He'll show you." She licked Jimmy's hand, but Jimmy glared at her again.

Thomas had to laugh; he had never seen anyone as irritated by their daemon as Jimmy before.

"All right, then," Jimmy said, to Thomas's slight surprise. "I'll play you something." He stood, catching up Kaiya in one hand as he did so, and indicated for Thomas to accompany him to the piano with a flick of his head.

"If you can persuade me to like it, I'll certainly be impressed," Thomas said would-be casually, affected by the notion that Jimmy really was trying to interest him.

"Any suggestions?" Jimmy asked, taking up the music on the stand and flicking through.

"Somethin' cheerful, then," Thomas replied.

"Just about all of them are cheerful," Jimmy pointed out, gesturing at the pages. He settled on one piece of music and propped it up in front of him.

Phoena watched eagerly, her tongue hanging out, as Jimmy frowned at the music for a few seconds, flexing his fingers, before placing them down on the keys and beginning to play.

Thomas listened, filled with warmth, as the notes plinked out into the air.

"You see?" Jimmy said, with a smile at Thomas. He was swaying slightly in his seat as he played.

Phoena pressed against Thomas's leg, quivering. Thomas was tempted to tell her off, but didn't want to call attention to her interest. As for himself, Thomas was watching Jimmy's nimble fingers gamboling over the keys.

Mrs Hughes' voice cut through their secret moment: "You play well, James."

Jimmy grinned at her, obviously pleased.

"There's no end to Jimmy's talents," Thomas responded. He moved around behind Jimmy, using his own body as a shield to allow him to massage Jimmy's shoulders as he added more privately: "Is there?" There was no abeyance in the music as he pressed his thumbs into the back of Jimmy's neck.

At their feet, Kaiya licked the top of Phoena's snout.

"His Lordship wants you," Miss O'Brien interrupted.

Thomas felt a flicker of fear; but Miss O'Brien knew about him already, so he allowed himself to trail his fingers slowly away from Jimmy, sweeping over the bare skin of his neck as he did so.

Phoena trotted after him as Thomas left the room, whispering: "Thomas! _Thomas_!"

"I _know_ ," he breathed back, pausing to scratch the back of her neck before he continued on his way.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter in the story; I'll just post pictures and explanations of the daemons in the next chapter.

Thomas's newfound precarious contentment was marred only by the return of Mr Bates. His daemon, Thomas had learned, was a slow loris called Aesinom, which from what Thomas had read seemed to suit him perfectly: apparently harmless but toxic if you let him touch you.

In the servants' hall, Aesinom and Phoena faced off, Phoena with a low growl in the back of her throat. Eventually, the two of them turned their backs on each other. Phoena returned to Thomas and nudged his hand under the table.

"What'll become of us now?" she wondered.

Thomas had no answer.

* * *

It all came to head one evening when Ivy and Alfred were out at the pictures. Thomas was reading the newspaper and smoking in the servants' hall when Phoena suddenly pricked up her ears and barked a couple of times.

"What is it?" Thomas asked her.

"Jimmy," she said simply, before trotting happily out of the room.

Thomas swallowed and returned his eyes to his newspaper, trying not to look too expectant as Jimmy's footsteps announced his entry into the room. Behind him, Phoena and Kaiya made their meandering way after him, chasing each other in circles.

Jimmy spared them a glance before asking Thomas: "Where is everyone?"

"Gone to bed," Thomas explained. "'Cept for the picture-goers, they're not back."

"If I'd thrown a bucket of slop in the old lady's lap, I wouldn't be allowed to go to the flicks," Jimmy said ruefully.

"What are you saying?"

"Mr Carson doesn't like me. No matter what Alfred does, he still prefers him. It's that bloody dog of his, even though she's as big as a horse. I bet he'd like me more if Kaiya was a Labrador. It's not bloody fair."

"Well, _I_ love her," Thomas said flippantly. "And I'm not the only one," he added, nodding to the two daemons still playing.

As Jimmy turned to look, Phoena paused and tilted her head at Jimmy, her tail wagging. "Kaiya's pretty," she said.

Kaiya sat back and began washing her face. Thomas smiled at them, but when his eyes caught the side of Jimmy's face, the man was blushing.

"She _is_ you," Jimmy pointed out, still locked-eyes with Phoena. "So that doesn't count." With his saucer clutched in one hand, Jimmy apparently unconsciously reached out a little towards Phoena with the other. Thomas was transfixed as Phoena took a few hesitant steps towards Jimmy, stretching forward with her nostrils flaring.

Speechless, Thomas held his breath as they got closer, closer, wondering whether Jimmy was truly going to touch her and enraptured by the idea that he wanted to. But Phoena sneezed and pulled away before they could make contact.

Jimmy coughed weakly and brought his teacup to his lips.

"You don't seem to talk to Kaiya much," Thomas said softly; he had never once caught Jimmy saying a single word to her, only glaring.

Jimmy shrugged uncomfortably. "She doesn't talk to _me_ much," he muttered.

"You're not very good at listening," Kaiya piped up.

Jimmy frowned at her, pouting moodily.

In an attempt to cheer Jimmy up, Thomas asked about Jimmy's family, but Jimmy admitted that he was as impoverished in that regard as Thomas was. Jimmy seemed to be comforted by what he and Phoena had to say, at least until Miss O'Brien and Sarea interrupted them.

Jimmy took his leave, picking up Kaiya on his way past and being careful not to brush past Phoena.

Sarea's eyes were fixed on Thomas unnervingly. Thomas picked up his paper and tried to ignore him and Miss O'Brien.

"He's a funny one, isn't he?"

Thomas only glowered at her acerbically, unwilling to discuss it.

"You can't pull the wool over our eyes," she persisted.

"We know what's going on," Sarea finished, with the closest thing to an evil smile that Thomas had ever seen a robin make.

"You're quite wrong," Thomas insisted, even as Phoena gazed at them hopefully. "He's a proper little lady's man."

"If that's how you want to play it," Miss O'Brien chuckled.

"What are you going on about?" Thomas demanded.

"There's no need to bark," she retorted, as Sarea preened. "I only know what Alfred tells me."

Thomas was wary of believing her, but somehow her surety was unquestionable. By the time she had left them alone, they were hopeful enough that Phoena started nudging at his knees, dancing on her paws and huffing: "They like us, they do, let's go to him, oh let's!" Thomas stroked her head and refused to discuss it until they had gone upstairs.

Once in his bedroom, Thomas pulled his braces over his shoulders. "He doesn't like us," Thomas mumbled.

"I think he does," Phoena countered. "Kaiya's so sweet with me and she likes to play together."

"That doesn't mean he feels the same way," Thomas argued, unbuttoning his shirt.

"But he might. And you can't tell me he's not sweet with you too."

Thomas sank onto his bed with his head in his hands.

Phoena laid her head on his knees. "She said Alfred thinks so too," she said quietly.

"Alfred's not the first person I'd take advice from," Thomas replied, slipping to the floor to wrap his arms around her. "And if we're wrong, they'll take you away from me." The punishment for homosexuality was severance: the bond between the daemon and the human was cut. Nobody lived long after that; how could anyone live without their soul? "Do you really think they like us?"

Phoena licked his ear. "Let's go to him," she begged.

"I wish we could know."

"He likes us," Phoena insisted. "Let's go, come on."

"All right," Thomas decided. He pushed to his feet and drifted to the door with Phoena just ahead of him. It was a short walk that felt like a mile as he stepped carefully across and down the darkened corridor. At Jimmy's door, he paused, steeling himself, before pushing it open.

Jimmy was asleep, but somewhere next to his knees Kaiya was sitting on the blanket and watching them with wide eyes. Thomas crept inside and shut the door as quietly as he could, terrified but thinking to wake Jimmy gently with a kiss.

Phoena placed herself next to the door with her ears pricked forwards into the unseen corridor.

"I'm goin' to kiss him," Thomas murmured to Kaiya.

The rabbit daemon blinked at him slowly and settled down into a big puff of fur with her legs folded underneath herself. "Go on then."

Thomas sank onto the bed, pausing with one hand on Jimmy's ribcage to scrutinise his face, relaxed in sleep. Thomas's heart was loud and slow as he leaned down and kissed Jimmy's pliant lips. For a moment, he was sure that Jimmy began to kiss him back, but suddenly Phoena made an " _uff!_ " noise of warning from the door so Thomas pulled away and managed to stand just before Alfred opened the door.

Thomas's skin burned with the strength of Jimmy's stare, even with his eyes turned to Alfred and the two dog daemons growling softly at each other.

"I just wanted to ask Jimmy something," Alfred said with a frown. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. Er - Jimmy had a nightmare," Thomas invented as in his peripheral vision Jimmy sat up against the headboard. "He's fine now. We should leave him to sleep."

"Oh. I'll ask you in the morning then, Jimmy." Alfred looked confused, but he always looked confused, and he backed out of the room with his daemon without any further inquiry.

The moment they heard his door close, Jimmy demanded in an angry whisper: "What, so you thought you could just _kiss_ me without even bloody asking how _I_ felt about it?"

Thomas blinked, unable to comprehend Jimmy's reaction, which seemed neither encouragement nor condemnation. He shut the door, letting the sound cross the corridor, before answering. "I asked Kaiya."

"She just wants me to go to hell," Jimmy muttered sullenly, scowling at her.

"I want good things for us," Kaiya protested. "You need to admit that you like him."

"Shuddup," Jimmy mumbled, dragging her towards him and attempting to stuff her under the pillow.

Thomas had to laugh. Even in the darkness, he could see that Jimmy's cheeks had darkened.

"So what if I do?" Jimmy said defensively.

"Well if you do, maybe I could kiss you again," Thomas suggested, Jimmy's reaction making him bold.

Jimmy looked up at him plainly, an odd sort of vulnerability in his expression. "All right."

Thrilled, Thomas once again perched on the edge of the bed and leaned in, letting his lips shiver against Jimmy's mouth. This time, there was no doubt that Jimmy kissed him back, a little timid, but unmistakeable. Joy filled Thomas and Phoena together as Jimmy became more bold, gently biting Thomas's bottom lip.

Suddenly, a jolt of arousal crashed through Thomas, so intense that he felt light-headed; he groaned into Jimmy's mouth before the sensation made him fall away from Jimmy's lips, gasping.

Jimmy had a hand cupped around Phoena's jaw, and she was licking his wrist eagerly.

"God," Thomas said faintly, mesmerised by the sight. "I didn't know someone touching your daemon was like that."

"Like what?" Jimmy asked.

Kissing him again, Thomas reached to the side of Jimmy where Kaiya was sitting, and buried his fingers in her fur.

Jimmy made a strangled " _A-ah!_ " sound and pressed against Thomas harder, clutching Thomas's neck with the hand that was not resting on Phoena's head. It was almost unbearably sensual, with an immense feeling of _rightness_ creeping up Thomas's forearm from where his hand was in contact with Kaiya, while the other hand gripped Jimmy's shoulder. The taste of Jimmy's toothpaste filled Thomas's mouth.

They kissed until Thomas could hardly stand it. Eventually, the overwhelming eroticism subsided, and Thomas opened his eyes, dazed, to see that Jimmy had removed his hand from Phoena. Thomas let go of Kaiya, panting for breath, and gazed at Jimmy in wonder.

Jimmy pressed one more brief, business-like kiss to Thomas's mouth, then said: "You should get back to your room before someone else walks in on us."

"All right," Thomas agreed, breathing heavily, though he suspected the likelihood of that was tiny. He did not want to give Jimmy anything to regret.

As Thomas hesitated, Jimmy poked him on the knee. "Go on, then."

Thomas smirked at him. "Just give me a minute to calm down."

Phoena nudged against Thomas's thigh; he stroked her absently. "Told you they like us," she said smugly.


	5. Chapter 5

Some pictures of the daemons and explanations as to why I chose that animal for them.

Jimmy. Tan rabbit called Kaiya. I loved the idea of him having a little "girly" daemon who he's always oddly embarrassed about. She makes him feel vulnerable.

* * *

Thomas. Finnish spitz dog called Phoena. I can explain no better than copying petfinder's description of the Finnish spitz:

> [The Finnish spitz is] independent and somewhat stubborn, although he is more hunting oriented than other Spitz breeds. He is alert, inquisitive and playful, but is also sensitive, tending to be devoted to one person. He is a breed conscious of his place in the dominance hierarchy, and some males can try to be domineering. He is good with children, and generally good with other pets. He can be reserved, even aloof or suspicious, with strangers. In keeping with his barking heritage, the Finkie is proud of his barking ability and likes to show it off loudly!

I mean seriously, that's just Thomas to a T.

* * *

Mrs Hughes. Somali cat called Adrastus. I wanted her to have a cat because the idea of her prowling about seemed to suit her, and I wanted her to be a domestic animal but a special breed. Again, description from petfinder:

> The Somali is active, curious, and high-spirited [...]
> 
> Their voices are soft, their minds active, and their food dishes are always empty. They also tend to be determined cats [...]
> 
> Somalis are affectionate, but are not lap cats. They don't like to be cuddled and would rather be near than on you. They do, however, want to be involved in every aspect of your life.

* * *

Carson. Badger called Demetria. Carson just entirely reminds me of a badger. Interesting fact: badgers are the only animal who can convince a hedgehog to unroll. Then they eat them.

* * *

Daisy. Jay bird called Adric. I don't actually mention Daisy's daemon specifically in the story but I wanted her to have a crow daemon (jays are a type of crow) because they can be easily overlooked but are very intelligent. Jays are very good at mimicking and, of course, are very beautiful.

* * *

Alfred. Irish wolfhound dog called Laraine. How could he not?

> Aptly known as the gentle giant, the Irish Wolfhound is a soft-natured, easygoing breed. He is calm around the house, sensitive, patient, easygoing and sweet. Despite his great size, he is good with children, pets and other dogs. It can be reserved with strangers and courageous when the need arises. (petfinder)

* * *

O'Brien. Robin called Sarea. They look cute and harmless but:

> they are aggressively territorial and are quick to drive away intruders (rspb)

* * *

 

Anna. Red squirrel called Bayanai. Most of them have animals who are native to the UK but it was especially important for Anna because she's kind of a domestic person. They can both be kind of twitchy and something about squirrels storing away nuts for the winter seemed appropriate. Nowadays we have more grey squirrels in the UK but back then we had red squirrels.

* * *

Ivy. Swan (I didn't name him). Beautiful, protective, mate for life.

* * *

Molesley. Unnamed bloodhound. It just IS Molesley, have you seen that picture? But also:

> For all his calm manners at home, the Bloodhound is a tireless trailer once on the track. He is tough, stubborn and independent, yet he is so gentle and placid that he is extremely trustworthy around children. Nonetheless, he is not the lazy old hound dog portrayed in folklore but instead an active, playful companion. Although not the easiest breed to train for traditional obedience, he is exceptionally easy to train in tasks involving trailing. The Bloodhound can be reserved with strangers. (petfinder)

* * *

Bates. Slow loris called Aesinom. I was mostly trying to keep to British animals but I had to make an exception for Bates. They move slowly and appear sweet and harmless but have a toxic bite. They deposit this toxin on the fur of their offspring to deter predators.

* * *

Sybil. Swallow called Sachiel. Sybil wasn't in the story but I decided on her daemon anyway. I wanted her to have a bird because of the association with freedom. Swallows like to play; they fly for the fun of it. They migrate but return to the same spot every year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you found that interesting! Thanks to the anon who reminded me to do this :)


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